SEOUL– Toronto Blue Jays’ left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin apparently felt fine beforehand but after lasting just four innings against the Chicago White Sox with forearm pains, he regretted pitching in the game at all.
Ryu gave up three runs — one unearned — on four hits in four innings against the White Sox at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Wednesday (local time). He allowed two home runs, the first time he’d done so in a game this year.
With a 5-3 lead through four frames, the Blue Jays took Ryu out of the game after only 58 pitches. The club later announced Ryu was dealing with left forearm tightness.
He had also experienced tightness in the same area after his second start of the season on April 16. He was placed on the injured list (IL) the next day with left forearm inflammation and ended up missing about a month.
“Coming into the game and earlier on, I thought I was going to be able to go out there and just do what I normally do. At the end of it, I noticed that I couldn’t carry on any longer,” Ryu told reporters through an interpreter. “So, I talked with (pitching coach) Pete (Walker) and (manager) Charlie (Montoyo). After going through those innings, I realize I kind of regret playing today’s game.”
As for the tightness, Ryu said, “It felt similar to my start earlier in the season when I was hurt.”
Ryu had looked solid in three starts following his return, holding opponents to only three runs in 15 2/3 innings while throwing harder than earlier in the year. But there were some concerns following his previous start last Thursday, when he was pulled after five innings with some elbow discomfort.
Forearm tightness is often a precursor to elbow issues, and Ryu has had a checkered injury history throughout his career. Ryu underwent Tommy John elbow reconstructive surgery while in high school in South Korea. In the majors, Ryu missed nearly two full seasons, from 2015 to 2016, following the shoulder operation while pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
As a Blue Jay, Ryu has missed time because of neck tightness and a glute strain, and now his left arm has flared up.
The 35-year-old is in Year 3 of his four-year, US$80 million contract.
Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said he wasn’t going to speculate on the extent of Ryu’s injury, since the pitcher would have to undergo further tests. But Montoyo complimented Ryu for giving the team four hard-earned innings despite not having his best stuff, and thus saving the overworked bullpen.
“He was only throwing 86, 87, 88 (mph), but he found a way to give us four big innings,” Montoyo said in his postgame press conference. “Otherwise, I don’t know how we could have covered that game.”
Asked if he felt Ryu was hiding his arm pains so he could take his turn in the rotation as a responsible veteran, Montoyo said: “Maybe. We’ll see. He deserves all the credit for doing that.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency